Pictures Tell A Thousand Words...

Up at the ass-crack of dawn to train newbs. Awesome times. This is why I haven't been writing as of late.

                                                         

Also, here are some articles that are awesome too:

Leigh Peele-Defining Bulky, Once and For All

JC-Spinning Your Wheels? How I Went From Newbie To Intermediate Trainee

Dustin Lebel-Complexes For Growth?

For The Ladies

I had a request from a female reader of this blog to post some more female oriented training advice on here, and I would be happy to accommodate. In this post I'll cover three things women should try and do to get the body they want.

1. People always seem to think that since women are different from men, they need to train a different way. I don't believe this is true. Alot of women I see in the gym have this routine: "run" on the elliptical for half an hour, do some shoulder raises with 5 pound dumbbells, do endless crunches to get a toned mid-section, then call it a day. On one hand, it is nice to see women getting into the gym these days, especially when it can be a bit intimidating with loud men running around who have been attacked by the sleeve monster (poor sleeveless souls). However, I believe that to get the results you want, you can learn a lesson from some of these men (and by men, I don't mean the guy with the popped collar doing calf raises on a Smith machine.) I mean the guys that are doing their deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts (great for having a sexy butt, just look at mine when you get a chance), squats, rows and presses. Basically, every lift should be as close to incorporating total body as possible. To make your entire body look good, you need to work your entire body. Don't believe me? The New Rules of Lifting for Women says different (and it's a pretty good read too. I say buy it.)
2. Do planks instead of crunches. I'm not saying to completely shun them, but your ab program should not be based entirely on them. The planks will both strengthen AND flatten the stomach while alsoworking the posterior chain (or the muscles in the back of the body). For some good progressions and exercises, check out this article by coach Nick Tumminello.
3. This is the most important/neglected/counter-intuitive part of training for either of the sexes. Brace yourself...you have to EAT. Starving yourself will not help you, as John Alvino says in this guest post on Jason Ferrugia's site. Your metabolism will slow down, thus burning LESS calories throughout the day. Follow these guidelines for maintaining a healthy looking physique while actually consuming more than a crouton and celery at dinner:

• Eat breakfast-this will ramp up the metabolism that has been dormant all night long.
• Eat 5-7 smaller meals a day-this will keep the metabolism burning all day, which will help shed fat and allow you to stay thin.
• Eat protein at every meal-protein has the highest thermic value of any macronutrient, meaning it actually heats up the body, allowing you to burn calories. Aim for about .8-1 gram per pound of bodyweight a day.
• Front load your carbs-eat most of your carbs in the morning and less during the day. This will teach your body to use fat for energy later in the day, since that is what you will end up consuming mostly throughout the day.

That's it for this post. Until next time, be strong.

P.S. Check out these site's for more info.

http://www.cassandraforsythe.com/

http://cassandraforsythe.blogspot.com/

http://valerie-waters.blogspot.com/

Again, I apologize to you guys about my absence from the blog over the past two weeks. I have begun my job as a State ocean lifeguard and as the weight trainer of my local high schools water polo team. So, needless to say, I have been slightly busy. This seems to be the case every summer but I wouldn't have it any other way. Since summer is here I'm constantly outside and doing the things I love: saving lives, training athletes, and lookin' good. With that, we have a perfect moment for a segue.

It's time for you to get outside people. I know the weather here in Southern California has been less than optimum, but when that shining sun breaks through the clouds, take advantage of it. Try training outside for a change of pace (I have the great opportunity to train at the beach in the sand.) Maybe invest in some kettlebells; they are easily portable and can give you one hell of a workout (and you look plain badass using them). Also, you could look into a TRX system. These are all the rage right now because of their portability, versatility, total body workout ability, and a whole lot of other -ility's that I can't think of. Maybe run some sprints at your local high school track or do your planned workout at a park. The world is your gym, be creative!

So, get some good old Vitamin D and get yourself a bit of a tan and go train outside for a change!

Until next time, be strong.